Closing device for doors and analogous structural elements

ABSTRACT

An elongated housing accommodates a slide means for longitudinal sliding movement in predetermined direction between a rest position and a working position. Biasing means permanently urges the slide means to its rest position. Connecting means connects the slide means with a structural element capable of performing movements between a closed and an open position to cause sliding movement of the sliding means towards its working position in response to movement of the structural element from the closed position. Braking means is operative for braking the movement of the slide means in response to the latter approaching its working position.

United States Patent Jentsch [451 July 11, 1972 Flnna Dorken l: Manltel KG, Ennepetal- Voerde,Germany 221 Filed: 111 .15.19

211 Appl. No: 850,494

[73] Assignee:

2,128,633 8/1938 Bissell 1 6/70 2,192,155 2/1940 Sheppard.

3,l05,264 10/1963 Truhon 3,174,177 3/1965 Bugge 3,375,542 4/l968 Gray =1 al. ..16/52 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,149,271 5/l963 Germany 16/52 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney-Michael S. Striker ABSTRACT An elongated housing accommodates a slide means for longitudinal sliding movement in predetermined direction between a rest position and a working position. Biasing means permanently urges the slide means to its rest position. Connecting means connects the slide means with a structural element capable of performing movements between a closed and an open position to cause sliding movement of the sliding means towards its working position in response to movement of the structural element from the closed position. Braking means is operative for braking the movement of the slide means in response to the latter approaching its working position.

3ClalrnsJDnwingiigures PATENTEUJuL 1 1 m2 bll l INVNTOR flwrmcw wsm may I. fat ,4

CLOSING DEVICE FOR DOORS AND ANALOGOUS STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Generally speaking, the present invention relates to a device for closing doors and the like, such as windows and other structural elements, and more particularly to a device of this type wherein a slide is movable longitudinally within a hous ing, being urged to a rest position by biasing means and being moved from its rest position in response to turning movement of a shaft with which it is associated and which in turn is connected with the door or other structural element which is to be closed by the device.

Conventional devices of this type provide no means for braking the opening movement of the door or other structural element which is being controlled by the device-hereafter identified as the door" for the sake of simplicity-to prevent the door from hitting the wall and to prevent excessive forces from acting upon the device. If it is desired to make provision for this purpose, it has heretofore always been necessary to use separate abutments which cooperate directly with the door. Of course, the use of such separate abutments brings with it certain disadvantages. Firstly, they are aesthetically displeasing. Secondly, they take up space. Thirdly, if these abutments are of the spring type, the limited space availability dictates the use of relatively small springs with a concomitantly low ability to absorb the kinetic energy of the opening door. Further, where springs are used there is the additional disadvantage that most of the energy absorbed by the springs is stored and subsequently again released, serving to accelerate the door from its open to its closed position which in many cases is undesirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide a device of the type under discussion which does not have the aforementioned disadvantages.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a device which is capable of reliably braking the movement of a door or analogous structural element as the same approaches its maximum open position, and which device does not store but rather dissipates the absorbed kinetic energy.

An additional object of the present inventionis to provide such a device which is relatively simple in its construction and therefore inexpensive to manufacture.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide such a device which is highly reliable in its operation.

In pursuance of the above objects, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of my invention resides in a closing device for doors and analogous structural elements which, briefly stated, comprises elongated housing means, and slide means arranged in the housing means longitudinally slidable therein in predetermined direction between a rest position and a working position. Biasing means serves to permanently urge the slide means to its rest position. Connecting means is operatively associated with the slide means, connecting the same with a door or analogous structural element capable of performing movements between a closed and open position. Thus, the slide means is caused to perform sliding movements towards its working position in response to movement of the structural element from the closed position thereof. Finally, I provide braking means operative for braking the movement of the slide means in response to the latter approaching its working position.

Because of the particular type of braking means which I provide in accordance with my invention, the kinetic energy of the opening door or other structural elements is not stored, but is instead dissipated. My braking means is of hydraulic nature, as will become more readily understandable from the subsequent detailed description of the invention. In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the invention the braking means will be in form of a unit which can be mounted in the housing of the device in toto, and which can similarly be removed in toto. In this case it is possible, if the braking means is not needed, to remove the unit and to simply replace it with a blind cap or plug closing the space in the housing which originally was intended to accommodate the braking means. Conversely, where necessary the same device can be used for different doors or other structural elements, or to pemiit different opening angles of these doors or other structural elements, simply by exchanging one braking unit for another having slightly different braking characteristics.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top-plan view of one embodiment of a device according to the present invention, partly sectioned and partly broken away, with a portion of the housing having been omitted for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line [l--Il of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned end view of FIG. 2, but with the device of FIG. 2 rotated through l about its longitudinal axis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing the drawing now in detail I wish to emphasize once again that the device illustrated here is for closing doors or analogous structural elements, such as for instance windows. Preferably the device will be mounted in the tubular frame of a door structure, but this is not to be considered limiting in any sense.

The illustrated device comprises a drive section 10 and a cylindrical section 11, together constituting a housing. The sections 10 and 11, or more particularly the housing sections 10 and II, are connected releasably via the screws 12, with a connecting portion 13 being provided on that end of the ho using section I l which faces the housing section 10.

The interior of the housing section 10 is accessible via an open which can be closed with the releasable cover 14 (com pare FIG. 2.)

Arranged in the housing section 10 is a turnable shaft 15 mounted for turning movement in an antifriction bearing 16 which is secured to the cover 14, and in another antifriction bearing 17 which is mounted in the housing wall opposite the cover 14, as shown in FIG. 2. A sealing gasket 18 is associated with the antifriction bearing 17 to prevent the escape of hydraulic fluid-which is contained in the interior of the housing-past the bearing 17.

The shaft 15, which can be connected with a door or analogous structural element in known manner so as to perform turning movements when the door moves between the open and closed positions thereof, carries a cam portion 19 Whose outline is clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A slide element arranged in the housing section 10 is composed of two transversely spaced plate-like members 20, with the cam portion 19 being located between these members 20. The members 20 are provided with transversely aligned slots 22 exte nding longitudinally of the housing, and the inner end of the shaft 15 extends through these slots. A roller ring 23 is rotatably mounted on the inner end portion of the shaft 15 and rolls along the edge faces bounding one of the slots 22 for supporting the shaft and guiding the slide means with respect to the shaft 15.

The housing section 11 accommodates in its interior a piston rod 25 one end of which is releasably connected with the plate members 20 by screws or analogous connecting elements 24. The other end of the piston rod 25 is connected with a piston 27 reciprocable in the interior of the housing section II. The piston rod 25 is surrounded intermediate the piston 27 and the juncture between the housing sections and 11 by a helical spring 26. The cylinder and piston arrangement thus constituted, in conjunction with controllable flow channels provided in the housing section 11 and with suitable valves which are diagrammatically illustrated and well known to those skilled in the art, serves as a damping device or shock absorber.

At the juncture between the housing sections 10 and 11 there is provided an adjustable abutment 28 which in turn connects the end portions of two tension rods 29 of which latter the major part is located exteriorly of the housing section 1 I extending in axial parallelism therewith. The opposite ends of the rods 29 are connected by a transversely extending bridging member 3! which is provided with a bore (see FIG. 2) through which a screw 30 may be threaded in order to bear with its front end against the end wall of the housing section 11 so that, depending upon the extent to which the screw 30 is threaded through the bore in the bridging member 31, the latter and thereby the rods 29 can be moved in direction away from the housing section 10, thereby changing the prestressing of the spring 26.

Assuming that the device thus far discussed is associated with a swing door which moves from closed position to open position, the shaft I5 is turned with concomitant turning of the cam portion 19. This, in turn, abuts against the rollers 21 which are mounted between the plate members 20 freely tumable relative thereto, and the slide means constituted by the plate members 20 is thereby forced to move towards the left in the drawing. This tensions the spring 26 and causes hydraulic fluid to enter into the working space of the device. When the door moves the back to its closing position, the spring 26 urges the slide means to return to the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, thereby turning the shaft and causing the door to move to its closed position. The speed of return movement is controlled by the damping device incorporated in the housing section I I.

In order to prevent the door during the opening movement thereof, from exceeding a maximum predetermined opening angle and thus hitting against a wall or the like, and in order to avoid the necessarily high stresses which would be placed on the device should this occur, the braking means according to the present invention is provided. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, this braking means comprises a substantially cup-shaped cylinder 33 which is suitably secured-for instance by screw threadingin an opening provided for this purpose in the housing wall 32. Slidably arranged in the interior of the cylinder 33 is a piston 34, with a restoring spring 35 being provided which urges the piston 34 to its inoperative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The transverse wall 38 of the piston 34, which will be abutted by the slide means as the same approaches its working position which, of course, corresponds to the predetermined maximum opening angle of the door, the piston 34 is provided with a one-way valve 36 of the illustrated type, that is a conventional type utilizing a wall to close a passage. A spring ring 37 is received in an annular recess provided in the inner circumferential face bounding the interior of the piston 33 adjacent the open side thereof, the spring ring 37 projecting radially inwardly beyond the inner circumferential face in order to prevent the piston 34 from being urged out of the interior of the cylinder 33 by the spring 35. The interior 39 of the cylinder 33 is filled with the hydraulic fluid which is present in the housing constituted by the housing sections 10 and l I.

It will be appreciated that as the slide means constituted by the members moves towards the left in response to opening of the associated door, it will abut the end face 38 before the slide means reaches its working position, that is before the door reaches its maximum predetermined opening angle. Once this abutment occurs, the piston 34 is displaced towards the left-side in FIGS. 1 and 2, with concomitant forcing of the hydraulic fluid in the space 39 out of this space. For this pur pose a suitable groove, bore or die like can be provided which establishes communication between the space 39 and the interior of the housing section 10. Altemately, the hydraulic fluid may be allowed to escape between the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 33 and the outer circumferential surface of the piston 34. In any case, such escape is throttled and can take place only slowly, the result being that the mechanical energy of the door-as it approaches the maximum opening angle-is used to force parts of the hydraulic fluid from the space 39 into the interior of the housing section 10. Thereby, mechanical energy is dissipated rather than being stored. Tests have shown that this provides for a highly efficient braking of the door as the latter nears its maximum opening angle without, however, causing such braking to be unduly rapid.

The spring 36 does not constitute any factor to be considered in the braking action. Its strength is selected only such that it is capable of restoring the piston 34 to the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 after abutment with the slide means constituted by the members 20 has ceased, that is when the rnembers 20 begin to move towards the right to assume again the position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in response to the door returning towards closed position.

Because the braking means is provided as a unit which can be secured in and removed from the housing section I0 in toto, it can be taken away completely if braking means is not necessary or not desired, and the opening in the housing wall 32 can then be simply closed by a cap or plug. On the other hand, it is also possible to utilize a standardized device of the type shown in the drawing for a plurality of applications, for instance where doors or other structural elements are intended to have different opening angles, simply by replacing one braking means with another of slightly different dimen sions, for instance with a longer or shorter piston, or with a different piston stroke. The purpose of the one-way valve 36 is of course obvious, in that during the return movement of the piston 34 under the influence of the spring 36 to the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, hydraulic fluid is allowed to stream from the interior of the housing section I0 into the space 39 via the one-way valve 36. The location and configuration of the braking means with respect to the housing section 10 is also shown in FIG. 3.

Needless to say, a variety of modifications is possible and will offer themselves readily to those skilled in the art, without in any way departing from the central concept of the present invention. Thus, the slide means can be constructed differently from what has been illustrated, and the biasing spring 26 need not be associated with the damping arrangement in the manner illustrated; instead, they could be separate entities entirely. Also, the braking means may be made adjustable for accommodating it to different door opening angles by making it possible to for instance thread the cylinder 33 more or less deeply into the opening provided in the housing wall 32. This would bring the end face 38 of the piston 34 closer to or farther from the slide means in the rest position of the latter, so that abutment would occur either earlier or later. It is also emphasized, of course, that the present invention includes the concept of having the piston mounted fixedly and the cylinder movable relative to the piston. Such a reversal of functions can be accomplished readily by those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a closing device for doors and analogous structural elements, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

I. A closing device for doors and analogous structural elements, comprising elongated housing means having a closed end; displaceable means in said housing means longitudinally displaceable therein in direction towards said closed end from a rest position to a working position; biasing means permanently urging said displaceable means to said rest position; connecting means operatively connecting said displaceable means with a structural element capable of performing movements between a closed and an open position, for effecting movement of said displaceable means toward said working position in response to movement of said structural element toward said open position; and a hydraulically operable braking arrangement operative for braking the movement of said displaceable means only during the terminal portion of the approach of said displaceable means to said working position, said braking arrangement including selectively removable abutment means at said closed and extending longitudinally of the path of movement of said displaceable means and being shiltable longitudinally of said path and said housing means between an inoperative and an operative position in response to engagement by said displaceable means as the latter reaches the terminal portion of its approach to said working position, said abutment means comprising cylinder means extending into said housing means and having an open facing away from said closed end and piston means slidable in said cylinder means and having a recess opening toward said closed end and having an engagement portion for engagement with said displaceable means, restoring means located in said recess and bearing against said closed end, said restoring means acting upon said abutment means with a force sulfcient for restoring said piston means to said inoperative position in the absence of engagement between said piston means and said displaceable means, and hydraulic means associated with said piston means for counteracting movement of the latter to said operative position, said hydraulic means comprising a body of hydraulic fluid accommodated in the interior of said housing means and in the interior of said cylinder means, throttling passage means communicating with the interior of said cylinder means and of said housing means for permitting throttled escape of hydraulic fluid from the former into the latter in response to movement of said piston means towards said operative position, and one-way valve means in said piston means for admitting hydraulic fluid from the interior of said housing means into the interior of said cylinder means in response to movement of said piston means from said operative position to said inoperative position thereof.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, said piston means having an abutment shoulder facing said open side, and limiting means comprising a spring ring mounted in said cylinder means at said open side and arranged to engage said abutment shoulder in response to movement of said piston means to said inoperative position.

3. A device as defined in claim 2, said open side being bounded by an inner circumferential surface provided with a circumferential radial groove, and said spring ring being accommodated in said groove and projecting in part out of said groove in radially inward direction.

l i I i 4 

1. A closing device for doors and analogous structural elements, comprising elongated housing means having a closed end; displaceable means in said housing means longitudinally displaceable therein in direction towards said closed end from a rest position to a working position; biasing means permanently urging said displaceable means to said rest position; connecting means operatively connecting said displaceable means with a structural element capable of performing movements between a closed and an open position, for effecting movement of said displaceable means toward said working position in response to movement of said structural element toward said open position; and a hydraulically operable braking arrangement operative for braking the movement of said displaceable means only during the terminal portion of the approach of said displaceable means to said working position, said braking arrangement including selectively removable abutment means at said closed end extending longitudinally of the path of movement of said displaceable means and being shiftable longitudinally of said path and said housing means between an inoperative and an operative position in response to engagement by said displaceable means as the latter reaches the terminal portion of its approach to said working position, said abutment means comprising cylinder means extending into said housing means and having an open facing away from said closed end and piston means slidable in said cylinder means and having a recess opening toward said closed end and having an engagement portion for engagement with said displaceable means, restoring means located in said recess and bearing against said closed end, said restoring means acting upon said abutment means with a force sufficient for restoring said piston means to said inoperative position in the absence of engagement between said piston means and said displaceable means, and hydraulic means associated with said piston means for counteracting movement of the latter to said operative position, said hydraulic means comprising a body of hydraulic fluid accommodated in the interior of said housing means and in the interior of said cylinder means, throttling passage means communicating with thE interior of said cylinder means and of said housing means for permitting throttled escape of hydraulic fluid from the former into the latter in response to movement of said piston means towards said operative position, and one-way valve means in said piston means for admitting hydraulic fluid from the interior of said housing means into the interior of said cylinder means in response to movement of said piston means from said operative position to said inoperative position thereof.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1, said piston means having an abutment shoulder facing said open side, and limiting means comprising a spring ring mounted in said cylinder means at said open side and arranged to engage said abutment shoulder in response to movement of said piston means to said inoperative position.
 3. A device as defined in claim 2, said open side being bounded by an inner circumferential surface provided with a circumferential radial groove, and said spring ring being accommodated in said groove and projecting in part out of said groove in radially inward direction. 